My "MINI" Adventure

Track day was very exciting! We
were so high we could hardly NOT wet our pants. Right before arriving at
the track, I confessed to my teammates that I really haven't had much stick
shifting experience. At most, I had only driven a stick shift 4 or 5 times.
My teammates were awesome and very encouraging. Sam Cooper and his helpers
surely knows how to pick the right people to work together!!

On the track, we went to different
courses and switched drivers at each station until all of us had tried everything.
We went through the following courses: Oversteering / understeering, speed
ring, emergency braking, slalom (included a lesson where we were able to
try the Cooper with run-flat tires that were completely flat in the back),
PDA / GPS system instruction, emergency double lane change, and my favorite,
the backward 180 degree bootleg turn. People kept asking, "what did you
do to your tires?!" My friends would laugh at me if I didn't really DRIVE
the car, especially when the car is free in every aspect.

While we went on to do our investigation the next day, the press got
a track day of their own. We were told that one press did not take his foot
off the accelerator during the backward 180 degree bootleg turn. The car
fell into a ditch and flipped over. All six of the airbags blew up but the
driver was able to walk away from the whole thing without a bruise.

Some press got a real good spot

Team USA

A second shot

Our console

Our instructor at the oversteering / understeering course

Looking at the emergency double lane change course

All the MINI's, appropriately in their playground

Following along to our first course

I have tears in my eyes eveytime I think about the course

We arrived at our course with the Team Ireland (seen here) and Team UK